He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
--Parallel Verses:
Acts 12:5
So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
Luke 18:1-8
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ”
And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
There is a time for preparation and a time for action. In the military, people drill to keep their fighting skills at an elite level.They run simulations of battles, they practice hand-to-hand combat, practice using their equipment until it becomes almost a part of them and feels like second nature. And Jesus here prepares in a similar way for a spiritual battle.
“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (I Corinthians 9:25-27)
How do we spiritually fight our battles? It starts on our knees petitioning the God who can save. And it continues with, after understanding his will for us, being courageous in our obedience.
Sometimes the powerful weapon of prayer is all we can do, like with the church praying for Peter’s freedom. Other times, prayer moves us to action to demonstrate the love, joy, hope, justice, and peace of God.
When we look at Jesus’ example, we see that his incredibly selfless act was prepared for in advance through much prayer and prior obedience to God. And at his critical hour, his disciples did not pray. Why? It is hard to know exactly. But I personally know the symptoms of this kind of dismissal of prayer — it is born out of both fear and pride. Fear of the unknown, change, rejection, or death can paralyze us. And pride can convince us that we can handle the situation on our own without God’s help.
Jesus modeled prayer three times for his disciples. He modeled persistence in prayer like the widow in Jesus’ parable. And he modeled true heart-level submission in prayer.
His disciples still did not follow his lead. And, as we shall see, their response to the challenge was not God-inspired.
What will I do to spiritually prepare for the attacks that the devil will form against me? Will I follow Jesus’ lead and pray, seeking God’s will over my own plans and priorities?
Lord, thank you for this model of a true disciple and submissive servant to you. You were “all-in” on your human race rescue mission. You also experienced all of the emotions, stress, and temptation that we do. You were honest about it, and yet submitted to God the Father in the belief that he would work everything out for good, through obedience. I will obey God too.
